1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to floor machines for waxing, stripping or otherwise treating floors by means of rotating brushes, pads or other means for treating the surface of a floor.
2. Acknowledgement of prior art
Floor machines for commercial, industrial or heavy duty use for stripping, washing, or otherwise treating the surface of a floor by rotating treatment discs are well known. Generally, they comprise an electric motor for rotating the treatment means and have a handle so that they may be operated by a standing operator. Such machines will be referred to herein as "floor machines".
Floor machines intended for heavy duty use, however, often comprise a single, circular disc-like brush having a generally planar surface attached to the motor of the machine through a vertical drive shaft through the center. Whether a single brush or pad or whether a plurality of brushes or pads are used, the floor machine is usually provided with a fixed position protective covering hood covering the treatment means and intended to protect the walls and furniture from the risk of being hit and damaged by the spinning brush or pad.
Such protective hoods covering the pads or brushes do not extend downwardly to the extent that they are actually in contact with the floor. Known machines provide hoods which are clear from the floor in operation. The extent of the clearance is sufficient to create a problem when liquids are being used with the floor machine. Liquids, such as water or wax-stripping liquids, are propelled by the rotating brushes or brush through the clearance gap between the floor and the skirt. It is the nature of the function of the device that such liquids will be very dirty and, in the case of wax stripping liquids, very corrosive. To remove the splashed, dirty wax and stripping liquid from painted surfaces, baseboard, furniture, walls, etc. is extremely time consuming and costly.
It has not been thought possible to provide a hood with no clearance between the floor and the machine itself, since the hoods have been made of rigid material and are fixed to the motor. If clearance is not provided between the floor and the skirt, the rigid hood will scratch and ruin the floor surface. Moreover, the polisher does not ride evenly while it is being operated but tilts to the right or to the left according to the circumstances. Thus, even if clearance is provided it must be sufficient that there is little risk of the hood scratching the floor even when the floor machine is tilted.
As a partial solution to this problem it has been proposed to make the hood of flexible material, for example, rubber, in the hope that it will not catch too badly on any projection or unevenness.
It has also been prosed to provide the hood with an adjustable annular splash guard about its periphery. Such a solution is proposed by Bogue in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,385 issued Mar. 7, 1989. Bogue's machine has a splash guard surrounding the hood, the level of the splash guard being adjustable within a specific range. Another such solution is proposed by Pollnow Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,135 which provides an annular splash guard surrounding the hood. Pollnow's splash guard is loosely fitted about the hood so that it rests on the floor and is dragged over the floor during operation of the machine. The hood, itself, is however permanently fixed about the central motor, the diameter of the hood thus being fixed to inhibit the fitting of larger brushes or pads.
The applicant has addressed these problems.